Samsung Confirms Release Of Galaxy Fold 2 For September With New Improved Design

Samsung Electronics announced that a reworked version of the Galaxy Fold—including strengthening the top and bottom of the hinge area with newly added protection caps—is ready to launch in September, about the same timeframe than rival Huawei Mate X. (Photo by Jeenah Moon)

On Wednesday, Samsung Electronics announced that a reworked version of the Galaxy Fold is ready to launch in September.

Last April, the South Korean company was forced to cancel the initial launch of its foldable phone, after several design flaws were uncovered including the peeling of the thin layer of plastic that protected the foldable display which can then let substances get between the display and the protective cover, causing the phone to ultimately fail, as well as a small opening on the back of the display created by the small lift of the screen when opened and closed, also causing particles to get in.

When I reached out to Samsung about the issue at the time, they told me that "we will take measures to strengthen the display protection."

Three months later and "after more time to fully evaluate the product design, make necessary improvements and run rigorous tests to validate the changes made, " Samsung made the following design and construction improvements:

The top protective layer of the Infinity Flex Display has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed

To protect the Galaxy Fold from external particles while maintaining its foldable experience, Samsung did 3 things including 1/strengthening the top and bottom of the hinge area with newly added protection caps, 2/ reinforcing the protection of the display with additional metal layers underneath the Infinity Flex Display, and 3/ reducing the space between the hinge and the Galaxy Fold body

These improvements and design changes correspond to the ones we suggested just a few days after the tech giant canceled the initial launch of the Galaxy Fold including making sure that "the protective top layer is perfectly sealed to the flexible display would be to flush it under the device's bezels," and covering the small opening on the back of the display.

The rest of the redesigned foldable phone has remained unchanged including a small outer 4.6-inch display flanked by large bezels and an inner 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display, and its bulky size—twice the width of a regular smartphone.

Atherton Research Insights

Similar to last year, this fall is going to be another extremely busy season for the smartphone industry with the release of new Apple iPhones, the Google Pixel 4, the OnePlus 7T and two foldable smartphones—the $2,000 Samsung Galaxy Fold and the $2,600 Huawei Mate X that was initially scheduled to be released last month before being postponed to also improve the reliability of the folding screen.

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Samsung Electronics announced that a reworked version of the Galaxy Fold—including strengthening the top and bottom of the hinge area with newly added protection caps—is ready to launch in September, about the same timeframe than rival Huawei Mate X. (Photo by Jeenah Moon)

On Wednesday, Samsung Electronics announced that a reworked version of the Galaxy Fold is ready to launch in September.

Last April, the South Korean company was forced to cancel the initial launch of its foldable phone, after several design flaws were uncovered including the peeling of the thin layer of plastic that protected the foldable display which can then let substances get between the display and the protective cover, causing the phone to ultimately fail, as well as a small opening on the back of the display created by the small lift of the screen when opened and closed, also causing particles to get in.

When I reached out to Samsung about the issue at the time, they told me that "we will take measures to strengthen the display protection."

Three months later and "after more time to fully evaluate the product design, make necessary improvements and run rigorous tests to validate the changes made, " Samsung made the following design and construction improvements:

The top protective layer of the Infinity Flex Display has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed

To protect the Galaxy Fold from external particles while maintaining its foldable experience, Samsung did 3 things including 1/strengthening the top and bottom of the hinge area with newly added protection caps, 2/ reinforcing the protection of the display with additional metal layers underneath the Infinity Flex Display, and 3/ reducing the space between the hinge and the Galaxy Fold body

These improvements and design changes correspond to the ones we suggested just a few days after the tech giant canceled the initial launch of the Galaxy Fold including making sure that "the protective top layer is perfectly sealed to the flexible display would be to flush it under the device's bezels," and covering the small opening on the back of the display.

The rest of the redesigned foldable phone has remained unchanged including a small outer 4.6-inch display flanked by large bezels and an inner 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display, and its bulky size—twice the width of a regular smartphone.

Atherton Research Insights

Similar to last year, this fall is going to be another extremely busy season for the smartphone industry with the release of new Apple iPhones, the Google Pixel 4, the OnePlus 7T and two foldable smartphones—the $2,000 Samsung Galaxy Fold and the $2,600 Huawei Mate X that was initially scheduled to be released last month before being postponed to also improve the reliability of the folding screen.